As deep as you dare
by isflamma
Summary: What if the one person that could save you, was the only one that could destroy you? Spoilers for s3.
1. Go back to sleep

**Spoilers:** All of season 3.

Italics are thoughts and emphasis.

**Warnings:** The boys are a bit OOC. And things might get gory later on... I'll give warning though.

**AN:** Okay, so it's been forever since I wrote anything, so feedback is what drives me at this point. I want to give you all fair warning that I have no idea where this story is going. None at all. We're all just along for the ride here.

Big thank you to SeveredWing, my beta. Thanks to her you can actually make some sense of this. Of course I had to go and fiddle with it, so any mistakes are completely my own.

Also thank you to Anna for hooking me to the show. I owe you one bitch! :)

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As Deep As You Dare

Chapter 1: Go back to sleep

_  
Chalk another victory up for the Winchester men._ Sam smiled at the memory of his brother unofficially keeping score. He thought it funny, but he supposed he knew why Dean was doing so lately. Truth be told, he'd sort of been keeping score himself. It might come in handy when he came up with the solution to get Dean out of his deal.

Sam had been looking for a way for so long now, and still there was nothing yet. Rumours and legends were all he could find on his trusty laptop. No word from any other hunters as well. Dean was back in 'A-Deal's-A-Deal-Sammy-Just-Drop-It' mode and that was worrying Sam a bit. He knew his brother didn't want to die and seeing him give up, even for a day, was beyond troubling for the younger Winchester, but Sam would believe for the both of them on those days. Then come morning Dean would be back to fighting fate again. Dean knew this as well, which was probably why he was asleep already instead of celebrating, leaving Sam alone to research in peace for once.

Sam was on his eighth cup of what went for coffee from the diner down the street, and was not at all sleepy. They were quickly running out of time so he would take every chance he could get to research. Plus he still had to do some finishing checks on the info about the demon they had killed earlier in the evening. Rumour had it the demon would be resurrected when the convention started up again next year. He strongly doubted it, but it had to be checked and he was research-guy. So he took another sip of his now stale coffee, grimaced at the taste, and got back to work.

* * *

A few hours later Sam's body was reminding him that he had been in a very physical fight that evening, and while coffee was a good substitute for sleep, he would still need the real stuff to reload his energy stores. Smiling to himself, he waited for the computer to shut down before getting up and stretching his long legs. His muscles complained a bit and he knew he'd been sitting for too long without moving. He'd have to pay for that in the morning – _okay, so early afternoon by the time I wake up –_ but it was worth the discomfort. He had found a solid lead to help in Dean's case and if it panned out it was worth anything. He still needed to check it with a few people, but he was cautiously optimistic. It was the best lead he'd had in ages. He looked over to the bed where his brother was sleeping and wanted to curse him for making that stupid deal, but didn't because he knew he would have done the exact same thing if the situation had been reversed. Might still try if it came down to it, no matter what he had promised Dean.

Chasing away his sombre thoughts, he got ready for bed. It had been a good day: they had kicked some demon ass, he had a promising lead, neither of them was seriously injured, and there was still plenty of time to save the day. All in all things were okay.

The Arizona heat made him opt to sleep in just his boxer shorts, Sam grinned as he remembered Deans comment when they first got the room. The room with just one king sized bed. Dean would probably give him some shitty comment about his sleepwear just for that reason in the morning but Sam didn't care. After twenty odd years of sharing everything, they were used to it anyway.

It was oddly comforting as well, sometimes. Just feeling his big brother's presence beside him had always helped Sam to sleep. He was usually the first to fall asleep, so getting to study his brother like this was a rare opportunity. All his life Dean had been there taking care of him and teaching him things, always strong, dependable, and in control. During times like this, however, when Sam took pride in the fact that it was _his_ presence that helped his brother relax for once trusting Sam to protect them, Sam would just listen to Dean breathe. Dean would kick his ass if he knew, but the sound of Dean's breaths as he slept was probably the most comforting sound that Sam knew. It meant they were safe. Sam smiled to himself; he _was_ such a girl sometimes.

Secure in the fact that Dean would never find out, he got under the covers and prepared to sleep. Before he had even lain down, Dean made a grunting sound, checking up on Sam, even in his sleep. Sam smiled and reassured his brother, "It's just me, go back to sleep Dean." Soon after, he followed his own advice.

* * *

Sam awoke some time later - _can't be more than 1½ hour tops -_ to the feeling that something was wrong. Something was simply _off_. He was lying on his stomach facing away from his brother, so he turned his head to look at Dean and check if he was awake as well. But he was alone in the bed.

"Dean?" he asked the empty room. The sleepiness left in him was gone the instant he felt something wet drip on his back.

_Jess!_

The horrors of three years past were flashing in his mind before he could even react, but the putrid smell of burning flesh chased the memory away; it did not belong with the one of Jess. All this passed in his mind in the time it took him to turn to his back, his eyes automatically going to the ceiling. The smell, sound, and sight froze him in place, all thoughts of getting weapons gone. It wasn't Jess pressed up against the ceiling; it was Dean.

Sam was so shocked that at first he didn't even notice the burnt skin, the mutilated body, or the mouth opened in a silent scream. He could only focus on the unmistakable hazel of his brother's eyes. His body might be unrecognisable, but there was no mistaking those eyes.

"How could you let this happen to me Sammy?" Dean's voice was barely audible, screamed dry from the pain, but somehow Sam could still hear every word clear as crystal.

As the tears that fell from Dean's eyes mixed with Sam's own tears on his cheeks, Dean's demeanour changed.

"How could you let me _burn_?"

The hate, hurt, and betrayal in Dean's perfect hazel eyes was enough for Sam to wake up wanting to scream or throw up, whichever came first.

TBC....

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So I'm pretty much begging here: please let me know what you think!


	2. There is a way to save your brother

A/N: Sorry for the wait, chapter 3 will be along soon. Only 3 daysto s5!!!!!! YAY!!!

Chapter 2: _There is a way to save your brother._

Sam had to take a moment to shake the vestiges of the nightmare as he tried to get rid of the sick feeling in his stomach. He sat up and put his feet on the floor, his movements prompting a slight sigh from beside him. He looked over, for a moment expecting to see Dean, but instead saw the red-head he had met in a bar earlier that night, still asleep. He'd been intent on just getting drunk and falling asleep alone, but for some reason he had followed this woman to her home. It was stupid of him to pick up women when he had been drinking too much alcohol. He knew the dreams would come on those nights. _Come to think of it, it was she that picked me up._ Not that that was a surprise to Sam. Lately he had been letting it happen more often than not. He got up from the bed and made his way over to the bathroom, stretching the muscles in his back on the way. Jesus, what had they been doing? His muscles ached all over, in the good we-had-crazy-passionate-sex-all-night way, but still. It wasn't like he was out of shape or anything.

Splashing some water on his face he took a look in the mirror. _I really need to shave. The whole stubble thing is so not me. Dean's gonna - _his thoughts came to an abrupt halt, the half smile on his face gone in an instant. Dean wouldn't be doing anything, ever again, because Dean was in hell. _I'm too sober._ He knew that drinking wasn't really helping his situation, but it numbed the pain, at least for a little while. He took another deep sigh and decided to get his clothes and leave. Some bar was still open somewhere in this town. The old Sam would not have even thought of leaving without saying goodbye to someone he had had amazing sex with all night, but he was a different Sam now.

He'd put on his jeans and was looking for his other shoe when a voice stopped him.

"Leaving so soon? I was hoping we could continue…" He'd forgotten the lovely sound of her voice. Actually, he wasn't sure if he'd really noticed it before and that was a shame. Straightening up he turned to find her looking appreciatively at his half naked form. He half grinned, considering her proposal before deciding that this one would be trouble if he let her.

"As much as I'd love to, I really need to go."

"What's the hurry?" She got up and walked to the kitchen to grab a couple of beers. Sam drank in the sight of her beautiful, naked body still bearing marks from their lovemaking, and he could feel his body start to lean towards staying. He watched her take a long drink from one of the beers before she walked over and handed him the other. He took a swig as he watched her walk back to the bed and pull on a t-shirt, noticing at the same time that his other shoe had somehow ended up under the bed. He took another drink, deeper this time. When he finished she'd sat down on the bed and was putting her beer down on the night stand, gesturing for him to come closer.

Deciding what the hell, he could get drunk later, he went over to her and kissed her. They kissed passionately and before he knew how it had happened, she was straddling him on the bed kissing her way to his ear. Sam stopped mid-groan at the words she whispered. "Besides, we haven't talked about Dean yet."

Before he had time to think about what he was doing, he had her pressed against the wall in a choke hold, the Latin incantations that would end the demon's possession spilling from his lips. She simply put her hand on the one holding her to the wall and smiled gently. Realising that it wasn't having any effect on her, he let go and made a run for the knife and Holy water in his bag.

"That's not going to work on me either." She was still smiling warmly as she spoke. "Also your little magic trick won't work if that's what you were thinking of trying next." Sam still stood in attack position, ready to test her claims. Her smile faded and she sighed "I'm not a demon but I'll down a shot if it helps to calm you down," she said, nodding to a glass on the table beside him. Without taking his eyes off her, he poured a shot of Holy water. Backing up as she came closer, he didn't relax a muscle before she drank the liquid. After about a minute of silence and nothing happening, he relaxed his stance a bit.

"If you need more proof, look into my eyes. I'm not going to hurt you, Sammy." He stopped the automatic response to being called Sammy and did as she asked. Her bright blue eyes were just that: bright, unnaturally so. It was as if they had some sort of back light. Now that he allowed his mind to register things beyond an immediate threat he could see that she looked different as well. Standing in a battered, old Metallica "Master of Puppets" concert t-shirt that was too big for her she looked strangely…regal. And for some reason Sam could feel a sliver of trust in him. His inner sense was telling him that she was not lying, she would not hurt him. Besides, if she wanted to she could have by now.

When she motioned for him to sit down with her, he did.

"There is no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to say it. There is a way to save your brother." Although he had been expecting her to mention Dean, it still surprised him.

"How do you know about Dean?"

"Is that really important?" At the look Sam gave her, she acquiesced. "I know about Dean, just like I know about you. Dean is in hell so that you can live. He sold his soul and now you are stuck hunting demons on your own, playing around with powers you can't really comprehend. I also know that you are looking for a way to get him out, and I can tell you how to do it."

"You didn't answer my question."

"This is the only answer I can give right now. Will you be satisfied or do you want to leave?"

"'Right now'? Will you explain it later?" Sam was desperately wanting to trust her, but he needed some answers- even if that meant he would get them later on.

She looked at him and, in that moment, he could see she decided to tell him more. Then she nodded.

"So if you're not a demon, what are you?" This he needed an answer to.

"I have many names. But you can call me Gaia." She smiled when he seemed to realize what that name meant.

"Gaia, as in Mother-Earth-kind-of Gaia?" She simply nodded. "Okay. I'm having a little trouble with this one being for real."

She kept smiling "After everything you have seen, why couldn't this be real as well?"

While he didn't really believe it, he decided to push on. "So what does Mother Nature want with the Winchester boys?"

"I already got what I wanted." Sam blushed. "In fact I got _more_ than I wanted, which is why I decided to show up and lend you a hand. And while I'd love to sit here and chat about this all day long, Michelle here can't handle my full presence for much longer without being damaged."

"So you... she..."

"Yes, she is her own person. And yes, you had sex with her without me being around. Yes, she knew about me. No, this won't hurt her, as long as I don't stay for too long." Sam looked at her doubtfully.

"Everyone has rules they have to follow Sammy. Which is why I can't pull Dean out myself. Oh, and yes, he will also need to pay the price."

"What price? What do you want from us?"

She paused a moment before answering "Your life, and your death. Before you start protesting, you have all ready paid half. The life half I'll count as paid in full last night."

Sam blushed again, then focused."And death?"

"One day when your time is up, you will die. And then your body will belong to me. That's pretty much what happens anyway so no biggie. Keep in mind, though, that doing this will come with another price tag attached, one that I don't know, and you will only find out over time. Don't bother asking because it could be anything and it could be nothing. No one knows. It's just a risk you have to take." Her tone of voice pretty much stopped any questions he might have had about the subject.

"What about Dean's deal?"

"His soul for you life? Well, a: he already paid, sort of anyway and b: a deal with me is beyond that of someone like Lilith. If you can get him out, you're both off the hook." At this she grabbed her beer bottle and took a swig.

"And how _do_ I get him out?"

She put the beer bottle down and smiled. "Simple. You go and get him."

Sam just sat there, staring at her like she had grown another head. Then after a few moments to collect his dumbfounded mind he said "I go in and get him. Just like that?"

"Of course it won't be easy, but yeah. You get up, open a gateway, go in, grab him, and walk back out. Spiritually, of course, as his body is buried and yours would burn to a crisp, and a crispy Sam is not a healthy Sam."

Sam just kept on staring. _This has to be a dream._ No way could Mother-friggin-Nature be like this. Nuh-uh. Not a chance. This whole situation was too insane, even for him.

"While I'd love to sit and watch you think about this all day long, like I said; I can't stay long. I need to know if you want to do this or not?"

_Like that was ever a question._ "Yes. What do I need to do?"

"Good." She seemed satisfied with his answer. "Well, at the moment, there is nothing you can do. These things can't be done just when and where, you know. You'll have to wait about a month, maybe two, for the right cosmic alignment. And when the time comes you'll need a coven of nine. Michelle will be one, but you will need eight more. Then there are some items and a book or two you'll need, but you can't get those yet."

Sam was making mental notes of people already when she cut in. "The people in your coven will have to be prepared to lose their souls if things go wrong, so be sure to pick the right ones. Those with their heart not in it will fail. Best thing you can do now is head over to Bobby's. Don't ask how, I just know. I'll meet you there in a few days." He could sense that she was about to leave.

"Oh, and Sam? Keep in mind that everything has a price. Everyone has to pay when they want something." She took one more deep drink of beer, put down the bottle, and then she was gone. It wasn't that big of a change, but Sam could tell that Gaia had left and Michelle was the only one in her body.

"So, did you know you had Mother Earth in you? Does that happen often?" he asked in a curious voice. He watched Michelle blush as he took a long drink from his previously forgotten beer.

After a few seconds she answered. "Yes, I knew. Actually it was me that invoked her." At his alarmed look she hastily added, "To pay tribute. To thank her for all her gifts, for life."

Accepting her answer, he asked a question that had been nagging him for awhile."So how come you picked me?"

"Well... you're cute. And you looked like you wanted it as bad as I did. And hell, I was right to pick you. She was satisfied." She smiled at him in the same way she had before, an open invitation for more if he so desired.

"So anyway, whatever you did after must really have been something for Her to come into me like that. It was a first for me, actually." Sam noted that she looked very tired.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I feel great. Euphoric. Just very tired. I think I'll need to rest soon."

"You said I did something? What do you mean by that?" He wanted her to get some rest, but his mind needed some answers.

"I suppose it could have been anything. I don't know. I was asleep by then. You sort of wore me out. Anyway, it wasn't just the sex, even if (_as I'm sure you know_ was left unsaid) sex magik is one of the oldest, most powerful things on the planet. Not as binding or, well, _dark_, as blood magik, but still. So I guess she was thankful and then you did something. I wasn't really privy to that, you know." She yawned.

Sam realized that he wasn't going to get any more information at this time, but he could wait.

"Look, you should get some rest. And I should leave."

"You don't have to. You could stay." She was maybe hoping for something he couldn't give.

Sighing he answered, "No, I need to go. I have a long trip ahead of me. I'll see you in a few days, right?"

"Yeah, if you could leave an address, that would be great. Then I could drive and She could save time." He nodded. "Lock the door on your way out please." And with that said, she crawled under the covers and promptly fell asleep, a satisfied smile on her lips.

Sam watched her for a few moments before finding a pen and some paper and scribbling down Bobby's address. He wrote down his cell phone number as well, in case she needed to get a hold of him if she got lost or whatever. Then he gathered his things and left, locking the door on his way out, still very confused about what was to come.

TBC

And now this feedback junkie would really like a fix...please!


	3. You wouldn't believe me

Chapter 3: You wouldn't believe me

On the way to Bobby's, the absurdity of what he was doing struck Sam. He was going along on some larger-than-life mission with absolutely no proof that anything he had learned was true. He was so desperate to save Dean that he was willing to listen to even the most ridiculous of ideas. Somehow he knew that Bobby was going to give him hell for this. He called said hunter earlier to check if he was at home or on a hunt. Bobby had been very surprised to hear from him; they had not spoken for a month. _Not since we buried Dean. _Sam hadn't wanted to tell Bobby anything over the phone. He was unsure of what to say in person as well.

Somehow he knew that Bobby was going to try and talk him out of this. Tell him that he had been tricked, because it was what he wanted to hear, but Sam could not let go of this feeling of trust he had in the virtual stranger he had spent the night with. Every time he thought about the craziness of the whole thing something inside him just told him to go along with it. If it didn't pan out, no harm done. But if it did...

Sam was desperately trying to keep from thinking too much about what it would mean if it did work. He knew that if he did, and everything turned out to be just a trick, he might not be able to pull himself back together again. He was already drinking too much, and telling his friends to fuck off when they were only trying to help him. Not to mention the whole bit with Ruby.

His indifference had gotten him through the past month, but if he got his hopes up... No, the new Sam needed to be in control now. The one that was like Dean: strong, determined and in control. The old Sam would not have survived on his own for this long. He needed strength now, so strength he would have.

That brought Sam back to another thing he refused to think about; what Dean would think about the new Sam. Not to mention what their father would have to say about this "new and improved" soldier. It was something that they had never really talked about when his family had been alive. _I can't believe I'm the only one that's left._ Part of him now understood why there was so much you had to sacrifice and talking about it did _not_ help. It just reminded you of everything you'd had to give up. He'd been lucky in that way. He'd never really had to understand before. Now that he did, there were so many things he wished he'd done differently, but you cannot change the past, and to dwell on it was just as useless as trying to change it. Besides, he was doing what he was supposed to be doing now, and once he got Dean back, everything would be right on track again.

He tried to put things to order in his mind before he arrived at Bobby's place, but he knew that he had not completely managed to do so. Now he had arrived, there was nothing to do, but get out of the car and get the show on the road.

Trying not to think too hard about how Bobby would react to everything, Sam got out of the Impala and walked to the front door. He had not even raised his hand to knock before the door opened. Bobby had obviously been waiting for him.

"Sam."

"Bobby." Sam nodded in greeting, but Bobby grabbed Sam into a hug which Sam didn't really return.

"Damn good to see you, son." He stepped back and took a good look at Sam. Sam could see that he was disapproving of something, but didn't really care. The other hunter seemed to notice this and got to the point. "So, what was so important you had to drive all the way out here to talk about it in person?" he asked as they walked into the house. He pointed to Sam to take a seat, but Sam just stood.

He took a deep breath, released it, then said, "There's a way to free Dean." He waited for Bobby to respond.

It took a while. Bobby seemed shocked at first, followed by confusion, until finally he settled on anger.

"There ain't, but one way to get out of hell, and I sure as hell hope your brother won't take that one. He was an idjit for selling his soul like that. No offense, but I don't want to have to hunt that boy."

"No, there is another way. We can _save_ Dean!" While he still doubted it somewhat himself, he needed to convince Bobby or there was no hope at all.

"Who has been selling you this crap? That _demon_ you keep around?"

Sam ignored the barb pointed at Ruby. This was not the time. "No, it wasn't Ruby, but it's someone I can trust."

"Who?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, but you'll get to meet her in a few days." He paused and sighed, the old Sam coming to the surface. "Please Bobby, just trust me."

It was obvious Bobby wanted to keep fighting him, but for whatever reason he decided not to. Sam didn't care why. He was just glad they wouldn't have to fight, especially as he had never thought Bobby would give in so easily.

"Meet _her_? Someone's coming here?" Bobby didn't seem to happy about that either, but Sam knew that he would allow it, if for nothing else but answers.

"Yeah. She's coming here in a few days to talk details. Just hear her out and then we can fight about it, okay?"

Bobby looked at Sam again and noticed that the boy seemed very tired. Tired and worn out. He could understand why and didn't really want to fight anyway. In the end the only thing that mattered was that he had seen a glimpse of the old Sam, and that was worth meeting whoever Sam thought could help. He would make sure that they were prepared for anyone or anything.

"The answers better be good. Now, how about we grab some dinner and you tell me what you've been doing this past month."

Sam smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Bobby. It'll all make sense, you'll see." And for some reason, Sam felt that it really would all make sense.

* * *

Sam awoke the next morning feeling unusually well rested. In the past month he had not been getting a lot of sleep, his nights filled with strange dreams that he could not remember come morning.

The fact that he'd taken to drinking himself stupid didn't help; it just made the dreams worse. Especially if he didn't stop in time. So usually he spent his nights hunting as much as possible, the fight leaving him exhausted enough to get some dreamless rest.

After a quick shower, he was sure that this was the best he had felt in weeks, and he had the sneaky suspicion that when he got some more answers in a few days time, things would get even better.

The wonderful smell of freshly brewed coffee was calling to him from downstairs, and he felt eager to answer its call.

Bobby was in the kitchen when he got there, throwing quips about Sam sleeping in late. Sam simply told him that he did not respond to such accusations until he'd had at least two cups of coffee.

As the morning went by in comfortable discussion, Sam felt more like his old self then he had since Dean died. He knew that Bobby wanted to ask him about the mood changes he seemed to be having, but thankfully the older hunter kept his questions to himself.

In the early afternoon, Bobby got a call asking for help with a situation that seemed to involve a ghost. Sam was actually glad that something had come up. He was pretty sure that he would not have been able to just sit by and wait for Michelle to show up. _If she shows up, _part of his mind whispered. _No!_ Sam answered himself. _She will be here._

For some reason he just knew that he could trust that. Part of him still wanted to be cautious. He should be wary, but the small part in him that still believed in unicorns (no matter what he'd told Dean) was throwing a heck of a convincing case in favor of complete trust. He smiled at his silly thoughts, then went out to the Impala to gear up, his focus shifting to the upcoming hunt.

Working with Bobby was, in some ways, very much like working with Dean. They had the same vast knowledge and confident aura of law enforcement officers. They did, however, not have that perfect understanding of the other's role that Sam and Dean had, so Sam spent most of the time just listening, letting his 'partner' do the talking. He had a feeling that Bobby appreciated that. He was, after all, used to working alone. Sam also knew that his own mind wasn't completely on the case, at least not as much as it should be, so he was glad to be able to go on autopilot on this one. He'd be focused when they got to the actual hunting.

When evening came they were ready and eager to fight. Sam could feel the adrenaline begin to flow as they waited in Bobby's truck for the house owners to leave. The case wasn't big or that dangerous, but the owners still decided to live with a sister that lived nearby until it was over. Obviously the strange things had become too much to handle. Sam also suspected that Bobby's friend had something to do with things.

So when the lady of the house suddenly flew out through the large bay window, the pair of hunters was surprised to say the least. Sam was out of the car screaming for Bobby to check on the woman before he had even realized that he was moving. He was breaking through the front door as he heard Bobby screaming at him to wait, but Sam had no intention to wait for anyone. So shotgun at the ready, he ran into the dining room.

He found what he assumed to be the woman's husband convulsing on the floor, seemingly suffering from some kind of attack. No sign of any ghost though. A few moments later Bobby appeared in the door.

"Nothing here. I'm checking the rest of the house." He could tell that Bobby was about to protest, so he quickly moved into the kitchen.

As the rest of the house turned up no clues to a ghostly presence, Sam made his way back to Bobby. The older man called an ambulance prior to them getting out of there before the police showed up.

"They should be okay, but I figure it'd be best to stay close by in case whatever did this decides to come back."

They stayed with the couple until they could hear the sirens, at which point they returned to the truck. They watched as the paramedics and police did their jobs, all the while Sam could tell that Bobby wanted to say something. Sam had a good idea what about and he did _not_ want to talk about it.

"So first thing tomorrow we'll go talk to them, right? Seems this was a bit more complicated than we thought."

"Yeah. Things aren't like I expected at all."

Sam decided to ignore the underlying meaning of Bobby's words. "So, any ideas?"

"No, but I suggest we do a proper EMF sweep once the law leaves."

Sam fully agreed. This was not turning out as expected, but that didn't mean they wouldn't deal with it. He just hoped they would have it worked out soon.

The EMF scan had showed that they were indeed dealing with a ghost, but at the moment it was no longer present. So they packed up their stuff and went back to Bobby's place, the silence heavy and uncomfortable between them. Sam had immediately retired to his room and Bobby had not pressed the issue. During the night Sam was again haunted by dreams that left him tired and on edge. It would be a long day.

The next day was indeed completely different than the one before. Where there had been companionable silence, was now filled with a straining silence. Sam had the feeling that Bobby would start asking him about things at any moment. And he really didn't want to answer anything before he had some answers of his own.

But they had a job to do, _thankfully, _and so they were off to the hospital.

It would seem that it was, in fact, just another ghost after all. This one just liked to possess people and then harm their loved ones, leaving the victim with the immense guilt of having hurt the ones they loved most. Sam would be glad when they got rid of this one. _Hopefully it'll get violent._ He felt pent up with all the emotions of the last day. Violence or sex. He'd kept going on those for awhile now. Not forgetting alcohol, of course. _And right now I could really use a drink... or five._

That was, of course, wishful thinking at the moment. When they were done with this ghost, he'd have to hole back up with Bobby and wait for Michelle to show up. He just hoped she would hurry and get there, or else he might not be responsible for his actions, but as Sam should have known, he was not that lucky.

The husband who had been possessed had called them a short while after they had left the hospital. He'd remembered something about the ghost that had eventually helped them find the body it belonged to. So the fight Sam had been hoping for turned into just another case of salt and burn. The ghost had appeared as they were about to salt the body and had tried to posses Sam, but Bobby had stopped it short with the flick of a match.

So now Sam was stuck driving back to Bobby's place, adrenaline pumping through him, and no way to get rid of it. _Just friggin great. What do I do now? _The thought of sitting around and just waiting made him grasp the steering wheel harder. _Luckily I have a lot of guns to clean. _Not that the guns needed cleaning. Sam made sure they were spotless and in perfect order, just like Dean had taught him, but it was something to do and he knew the familiar action would take his mind off waiting. At least for a short while.

* * *

Sam hadn't had time to really start cleaning the guns before Bobby decided they needed to talk.

"Jesus boy, when are we going to talk about it?"

"Talk about what, Bobby?" Sam decided he'd give playing ignorant a try.

Bobby let out a frustrated sigh. "About the damn weather. What do you think, Sam? You've barely said anything, but small talk since you got here, and I don't know which is worse: the silence or the attitude."

"What attitude?" Of course, Sam knew exactly what Bobby was talking about. He was just not in the mood to give even an inch right now.

"The-devil-may-care-go-down-guns-blazing one." He sighed again and changed his approach. "Look son, I miss him too, but do you really think he'd want you being reckless like this?"

Sam froze, but Bobby didn't seem to have noticed and instead continued talking. "If you'd just, I don't know, talk to me then maybe you'd b able to..." He stopped, took one look at Sam's deathly still figure, and changed tactics again. He walked over to where Sam was sitting and joined the younger man. "I know it's tough, but it'll get easier. I know what you're going through. You just-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off as Sam stood up violently.

"How dare you?! You have _no idea_ what I'm going through."

Bobby got up and stared Sam down. "I lost my wife in this very house, so I think I do."Sam flinched slightly at that.

"No disrespect, but I still don't think you do. I lost my brother, the only family I had left. We were supposed to take care of each other and now he's dead! Dead, because of me. And I could have stopped it..."

"So now you're on a guilt trip instead, ready to believe anything, desperate to believe in anyone claiming to be able to help. Can't you see that you're being tricked? This woman has you going against everything you are and you're just going to sit by and let her? Well, I ain't okay with that."

Sam was just about to answer, but he was beaten to it by a soft female voice.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?"

TBC.


End file.
